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Rise of the Toltecs at Tula

Type Event Region Mexico Time c. 950–980

Around 950, the Toltecs established their capital Tula (Tollan) in central Mexico, becoming the most influential military and cultural power of Postc…

Timeline

  1. 950–970Tula · MexicoThe Toltecs built the grand capital of Tula north of the Valley of Mexico, constructing public buildings such as Pyramid B and the ball court. The capital became the power center of the military aristocracy and priestly class, controlling agricultural zones and trade-route nodes of the central Mexican plateau.
  2. 960–980Feathered Serpent Temple · MexicoFour Atlantean giant columns and Feathered Serpent reliefs stand atop Tula's Feathered Serpent Temple, embodying worship of the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl and a martial spirit. Warrior columns and the jaguar-coyote warrior combination became hallmarks of Toltec art, influencing subsequent Mesoamerican religious iconography.
  3. 950–1000Central Mexican Plateau · MexicoToltec power expanded into the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf coast, engaging in military and cultural contact with Maya city-states. Their metallurgy, Feathered Serpent faith, and colonnaded architectural styles spread through merchants and migrants, becoming a major driver of cross-regional civilizational exchange in Postclassic Mesoamerica.

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